Scottish Business Insider

1 week ago | insider.co.uk | Jack Thomson

Renfrewshire Council has given the green light to plans to convert an office building in Paisley town centre into a 16-unit aparthotel. The planning permission application for the Glasgow Road site's upper floors was submitted by Dunfermline-based Chapel Street and approved with conditions. The project will see internal modifications to establish self-contained living spaces, each featuring a combined living and sleeping area, a small kitchen, and an en-suite bathroom.

1 week ago | insider.co.uk | Kris Gourlay

An award-winning fish and chip shop in West Lothian, has shut its doors with its owners saying it had become "increasingly difficult" to stay open amid challenging economic times. Linlithgow-based eatery Zio G's, which bagged the Best Takeaway and Best Fish and Chip Shop titles at the 2018 and 2019 Edinburgh Business awards, announced the closure on social media on Tuesday. The team admitted to struggling in the post-Covid environment, despite their best efforts to keep the business afloat.

1 week ago | insider.co.uk | Ruaraidh Britton

Almost 50 jobs have been lost at an Aberdeen-based engineering firm after it entered liquidation. MHA's Michael Reid has been appointed as the liquidator for Belmar Engineering The firm's 48 employees were informed of the situation and made redundant with immediate effect during a meeting on Tuesday. A letter was also dispatched to all known creditors – approximately 80 in total, comprising trade suppliers, utility providers, finance companies and HMRC.

1 week ago | insider.co.uk | Alistair Houghton

A property software firm founded by nuclear submarine design engineers has expanded across the UK after completing a nationwide rollout with letting and estate agents Belvoir and Northwood. Edinburgh’s SME Professional will now provide property software and customer relationship management (CRM) support for all of Belvoir and Northwood’s 250 letting and estate agent offices - from Aberdeen to Plymouth.

1 week ago | insider.co.uk | Alistair Houghton

Scotland has seen a rise in both employment and unemployment rates, according to the latest data from the the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The unemployment rate for 16 to 64 year olds in Scotland increased by 0.3% to 4.2% from December 2024 to February 2025, while the UK rate stood at 4.4%. Meanwhile, Scotland's employment rate rose by 0.2% to 74.3%, falling short of the UK rate of 75.1%.